Weatherwatch: how solar farms benefit bees and butterflies

Research shows pollinating insects thrive in solar parks, particularly where a variety of plants are flourishingAfter the cloudy and wet winter, it may seem surprising that solar farms are becoming an increasing fixture in the British landscape. The low cost of solar electricity production, coupled with battery storage, is clearly commercially viable. But it is also controversial, with some objecting to the loss of potential food production and alleging damage to the character of the countryside.One unlooked-for benefit is for bees, butterflies, moths and hoverflies, all species that are otherwise rapidly disappearing from our countryside. Field data from 15 sites in 2021 showed that pollinating insects thrived in solar parks, particularly where a variety of plants have been allowed to flourish or been planted underneath and around the panels. Continue reading...